Do you make a Christmas Pudding on Stir Up Sunday? Do family members join in with the stirring and make a wish?Do you have an old family recipe or is there one you've found and always use, or do you try a different one each year? Do you make a small one for 'a Taster' to eat before Christmas, just to check?

I prepare the fruit and soak it in the alcohol the day before and on Stir up Sunday I put it all together while I'm listening to The Archers Omnibus, have the ritual stirring and put several puddings on to steam while Jill Archer does the same

This year I'll be making at least three puddings, two for DD (one for Christmas and one for her birthday in April) andone to take with us to DS where we're spending Christmas. When I was a child Ma always made a small Tester to eat the week after Stir Up Sunday but we don't do that now. I know the recipe I use is a good one.

What are your Christmas Pudding traditions?

Today I've checked the cupboards to make sure we have enough raisins, sultanas, cherries, muscovado sugar etc ... Next time I go to the supermarket I'll need to buy dried figs, oranges, apples and black treacle along with some grated suet and some good white bread for breadcrumbs ...........

Last edited by suffolk on November 11th, 2017, 3:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I have, for many years made an old Francis Bissell recipe....http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/Recipes/Pudding.htmlIt is delicious, and is low fat, sugar free and has no 'raw' flour in it.I make two, and keep one for any special occasion in the following year. In fact I recently made a family Christmas dinner and used an almost forgotten one from 2 years ago and it was perfect. Got to have lots of rum sauce with it!

Looks a very fruity recipe Pat, we don't have C'mas pudd. as such, we are normally too full for anything else. I have been reminded that I made a plum duff that was enjoyed sometime last year, I might look up the recipe sometime soon, it is not dissimilar to C. pud.

I'd love to have the sort of Christmas where puddings were liked and no-one mentioned sugar, calories etc. I'm about the only one in the family who would though. Ma never made puddings - she disliked them and we usually had tinned strawberries and cream. MIL made scrummy ones which kept us supplied for years but I didn't inherit the recipe .

I have already planned a lunch party for SUS - it is a family tradition. i weigh everything out the day before it is mixed that day and the bowl covered and left overnight and the puddings are steamed next day. I give some as presents and the family get one each. It looks unlikely that we will eat ours on Chrostmas Day so I'll keep ours for New Year's Day.

As for a recipe. It is a state secret but contains a lot of booze and both grated carrot and apple.

Cooking for those you care about is the most profound expression of love - Anne-Sophie Pic

I’m afraid it’s shop bought for us. I have to admit to never having steamed a pudding, it’s in the same category of fear as pressure cookers - totally irrational I know.

I am returning Yorkshire this week and will set about baking the Christmas cake. It will have a generous amount of dried fruit, booze and nuts - I bought 8kg of nuts and dried fruit back with me from Australia! It was the one thing that was a lot cheaper food wise and we have been enjoying them ever since, I think I will use macadamia nuts in the cake.